HVAC Repair in Scottsville, VA
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from June through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Albemarle County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most years
Heat runs here October through April, then cooling takes over June through September. That leaves the system idle only a few weeks a year. Most homes heat with electricity, and on nights that average 28°F the system runs long and often to hold the house steady. Summer afternoons average 85°F, which keeps the compressor working hard on the other end of the year.
Albemarle County has logged 24 winter storms and 268 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and power drops with them. Across Virginia, 22% of households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. Most systems restart on their own once power returns, but a hard outage still stresses whatever was already close to failing. A system that runs nearly year round and takes the occasional power hit shows its weak points sooner than one that gets real time off.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 4 months
- June through September, it cools
- 28°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 85°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license sits with the contractor, not with the job in front of you. Virginia's Board for Contractors tests and records the contractor before they can take work under that license, and that record covers the business, not each individual repair. Work under $1,000 falls outside that requirement, so a small repair can legally be done without a licensed contractor.
A heating and cooling repair like this one is not likely to fall under that threshold, so the license is what stands behind whoever does the work. Because Virginia licenses at the state level, that same credential applies whether the contractor is working in Albemarle County or anywhere else in the state.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set to heat and the temperature is set above the room temperature, since a setting bumped a degree or two can look like a dead system. If that's not it, check your breaker panel for a tripped breaker, since a furnace or heat pump that lost power will look completely dead. Gas furnaces also need the pilot light or igniter to work, so if you smell gas or hear the system trying to start without catching, that points to an ignition problem a contractor needs to look at. Winter nights average 28°F here, so a furnace that won't hold a flame or a heat pump stuck in defrost mode needs attention quickly.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter blocking airflow, so check that first and replace it if it's gray or clogged. If the filter is clean, look at your outdoor unit. Leaves, grass clippings or a fence too close can block the coil from releasing heat, and that stops the system from cooling even though it's running. A refrigerant leak or a failing compressor will also cause this, but those need a contractor with gauges to diagnose. Summer afternoons here average 85°F, so a system that's running constantly without cooling the house is worth checking soon rather than waiting it out.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings and batteries first, since a dead battery or a setting changed by accident causes a lot of no heat and no cooling calls. Check your breaker panel for anything tripped, and check that any furnace or air handler switch nearby is flipped on. Look at the air filter and replace it if it's dirty, since restricted airflow causes both heating and cooling problems. If the outdoor unit isn't running, make sure nothing is blocking it and that it has power. Telling the contractor what you already checked helps them get to the actual problem faster.